Method of connecting tubular members in a well string



Oct. 19, 1965 M. M. HASHA METHOD OF CONNECTING TUBULAR MEMBERS IN A WELL STRING Filed April 12, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Ill Ma/yexw M Haw/7a INVENTOR.

BYWYM Oct. 19, 1965 M. M. HASHA 3,212,578

METHOD OF CONNECTING TUBULAR MEMBERS IN A WELL STRING Filed April 12, 1962 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 Ma/l/e/w M. Haj/2a INVENTOR.

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ATTOH/VEVJ Oct. 19, 1965 M, M HASHA $212,578

METHOD OF CONNECTING TUBULAR MEMBERS IN A WELL STRING Filed April 12, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Mar/yew? M. f/a /xa INVENTOR.

ATTO/P/VE VJ United States Patent 3,212,578 METHOD OF CONNECTING TUBULAR MEMBERS IN A WELL STRING Malvern M. Hasha, P.(). Box 521, Lake Charles, La. Filed Apr. 12, 1962, Ser. No. 187,059 1 Claim. (Cl. 166-49) This application is a cont-inuation-in-part of my copending application bearing Serial No. 154,701 filed on November 24, 1961, now abandoned.

The present invention relates to a power spinner unit for well swivels and the like and a method of connecting and disconnecting tubular members in a well string.

The present invention has particular utility in connection with its use on oil and gas well drilling swivels and will be described in greater detail in relation to such environment; however, it can be appreciated that it may have application in other situations.

In the drilling of oil, gas, and water wells by the rotary method, a well bore is cut in the earth by a drill bit that is suspended on a string of pipe, and as the hole is progressively deepened, additional sections of pipe are added to the pipe string.

At the present time, in order to connect additional pipe sections into the well string which is suspended in the well bore, rotation of the well string is stopped and the pipe section is then connected into the suspended well string by use of a spinning line and tongs in a manner well known in the art. This operation can be dangerous to the personnel on the drilling rig platform.

Under certain well conditions, it is necessary or desirable to maintain rotation of the well string at all times in order to inhibit sticking of the well string in the well bore, and in some instances, the well string has been known to become stuck in the well bore in a relatively short interval, such as a fraction of a minute. With the present manner of connecting and disconnecting well pipe in a pipe string, it is impossible to continue rotation of the suspended well string while connecting a pipe section therewith. Thus, the present manner of connecting and disconnecting pipe in a well string enhances the possibility of the well string becoming stuck in the well bore.

Additionally, the manner of connecting the pipe sections in the well string at the present time is extremely time consuming and expensive. Not only is the manner of connecting the pipe sections into the well string time consuming, but when the well string is removed from the well bore to replace a bit or to perform testing or other operations in the well bore, the sections of well pipe must be unthreaded and disconnected from the well string as the well string is recovered from the well bore, In this instance, the sections of pipe are unthreaded from the well string by means of the tongs or rotary in the manner well known in the art so that the manner of unthreading or releasing the pipe sections from the well string also is extremely time consuming.

The present invention has for one of its primary objects a method of connecting and disconnecting pipe sections in a suspended well string which does not interfere with continued rotation of the suspended well string as the connecting and disconnecting of the pipe sections is accomplished.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus in connection with a swivel whereby the spindle of the swivel and tubular member connected therebelow may be rotated so as to threadedly connect or disconnect pipe sections in a well string.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a spinner unit for rotating the spindle of a swivel and a tubular member therebelow for connecting and disconnecting pipe sections in a well string, the spinner 'ice unit being constructed and arranged so that it automatically disengages from the swivel spindle when not in use so as to not interfere with normal use and operation of the swivel during drilling operations.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a spinner unit for a swivel spindle whereby the swivel spindle may be rotated simultaneously and independently of continued rotation of the well string in the well bore whereby a tubular member supported by the swivel spindle may be either threadedly connected or disconnected into the rotating well string.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a power spinner for the spindle of a swivel which is constructed and arranged to selectively engage and rotate the spindle in either a clockwise or a counterclockwise direction as desired.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a power spinner for a swivel spindle wherein a source of power is connected to operate the spinner, the power supply also functioning as a means to lubricate certain components of the spinner of the present invention.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a spinner unit for rotating the spindle of a swivel which is normally disengaged from the spindle but which automatically engages with the spindle when power is supplied to the spinner unit.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a spinner unit for rotating the spindle of a swivel which is normally disengaged from the spindle but which automatically engages with the spindle when power is supplied to the spinner unit and which spinner unit also functions to again disengage when power to the spinner unit is cut off.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a spinner unit for the spindle of a swivel which may be used for performing various operations on a well location.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a spinner unit for the spindle of a swivel which may be used for performing various operations on a well location and which may be easily and quickly positioned'on the spindle and easily removed for repair or replacement when necessary.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from a consideration of the following description and drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a partial elevational view of a drilling rig illustrating a form of the present invention on a swivel;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view, partly in elevation, on the line 2 2 of FIG. 1 illustrating further structural details of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of FIG. 2 to illustrate further structural details of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a partial, sectional view somewhat similar to FIG. 3 but illustrating the relationship of certain components of the invention when it is actuated to rotate the spindle of the swivel;

FIG. 5 is a view somewhat similar to FIG. 2 but enlarged and illustrating another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is of another embodiment showing one motor which is operable to rotate the kelly in either direction as desired; and

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the support means for the gear means used in connection with the motor means shown in FIGS. l-4 and 6 of the drawings.

Attention is first directed to FIG. 1 of the drawings wherein a conventional drilling rig is illustrated generally by the numeral 7 which includes the mast portion or derrick 8 and the drilling platform 9 upon which is supported a rotary of any conventional form represented by the numeral 10. The draw works and power equipment for 3 the well is represented generally by the numeral 11, the draw works including the reel or drum for winding and unwinding the cable 12. The cable 12 is connected by means well known in the art over the crown block (not shown) which is located at the top of the drilling rig 7 to the traveling block (not shown) that is suspended in the derrick 8. The traveling block is connected by suitable means well known in the art to the hook 15 that is in turn engaged with the bail 16 of the swivel represented generally by the numeral 17.

In describing the present invention, it will be assumed that it is to be built and then mounted on a swivel of any type such as commonly employed; however, it can be appreciated that the components of the present invention may be integrally built with the swivel during its initial assembly or manufacture. Either construction would not depart from the scope of the present invention.

The bail 16 is connected to the housing 18 of the swivel 17 as represented in FIG. 1 of the drawings. The gooseneck 19 of the swivel is connected to a fleXible line whereby drilling liquids may be supplied from the supply line through the flexible line 20, gooseneck 19, and then discharged through the swivel to the well pipe connected therebelow and represented generally by the numeral 22.

The gooseneck 19 communicates interiorly of the swivel housing 18 with a spindle or stem 21 illustrated at dotted line in FIG. 1 of the drawings which projects from the lower end of swivel housing 18. The spindle 21 is rotatably supported within the housing 18 by suitable bearing means, and it as well as the gooseneck 19 are provided with suitable seal means whereby fluid or liquid communicated through the line 20 and the gooseneck 19 is discharged through the spindle 21 and into the well pipe 22 without any appreciable fluid loss. A swivel sub 23 may be threadedly connected to the lower end of the spindle or stem 21 and to the sub 23 there is ordinarily connected the safety valve stem 24 and safety valve 25.

The well string 22 for purposes of description includes a kelly 26 which is of noncircular configuration that is adapted to be received within the kelly bushing 27 seated in the rotary 10. The well string 22 including tubular pipe sections are connected to and extend downwardly from the kelly 26 into the well bore. Rotation is imparted to the well string 22 including the kelly 26 by means of the rotary 10 in a means well known in the art, and as this rotation is accomplished, drilling liquid is supplied through the flexible line 20 and swivel 17 into platform. The mouse hole 28 and rat hole 29 may be formed of easing which is of a larger diameter than the drill pipe used in the drilling operations, and the mouse hole 28 is of a suitable length so as to receive a section of drill pipe therein. The mouse hole 28 is ordinarily positioned in close proximity to the rotary table 10, and when it is desired to add an additional section of pipe to the well string 22, the cable 12 is wound on the drum of the draw works, and this raises the traveling block and hook 15 as well as the spindle 17 and well pipe 22 upwardly in the drilling rig. Such lifting is continued until the noncircular kelly has cleared the top of the rotary, whereupon slips are placed in the rotary 10 around the tubular wellpipe and the kelly 26 is disconnected from the end of the well pipe that projects upwardly above the rotary. The kelly 26 is then manually shifted over to engage the section of drill pipe in the mouse hole 28, and the present invention may be actuated while a tong is positioned on the drill pipe in the mouse hole 28 so that the lower end of the kelly 26 is threadedly engaged with the section of drill pipe in the mouse hole 28. The swivel 17, kelly 26, and engaged section of well pipe are then lifted vertically in the derrick so as to raise the section of well pipe from the mouse hole 28, and the section of well pipe is then connected into the upper end of the well string 22 extending above the rotary 10.

This is accomplished by vertically aligning the section of well pipe engaged with kelly 26 with the end of the pipe string projecting above the rotary table 10 and lowering the swivel 17, kelly 26, and well pipe connected therewith until this well pipe section abuts the upper end of the well string, whereupon the present invention may be actuated so as to rotate the swivel spindle 21, kelly 26, and connected well pipe section to threadedly connect it to the well string 22. It is to be noted that while the above operations are being carried out, the rotary 10 may continue to rotate the suspended well string 22 in the well bore after the kelly has been disconnected therefrom and is being engaged with the additional section of well pipe in the mouse hole 28. Also, the well string 22 may be continually rotated as the section of well pipe is threadedly connected thereto since the spinner of the present invention independently spins the spindle 21 of the swivel 17 as well as the hollow tubular noncircular kelly 26 and pipe section connected thereto.

When it is desired to remove the swivel 17 and kelly 26 so that other well operations may be performed, the kelly 26 may be broken or disconnected from the remainder of well string 22 by raising it above the rotary table and threadedly disconnecting the kelly 26 from the well string as above described. Thereafter, the kelly 26 and swivel 17 may be lowered and guided into the rat hole 29 which is more remotely located relative to the rotary 10 than the mouse hole 28 and retains the swivel 17 and kelly 26 in a position so as to not interfere with the other well operations to be carried out.

The spinner unit of the present invention may be used for threadedly disconnecting the kelly and pipe sections from the well string when removing the well string from the well bore as well as threadedly connecting the sections of well pipe into the Well string in the manner as above described.

The present invention is referred to generally by the numeral 30, and in the forms illustrated in the drawings, it is shown as being assembled on the swivel 17 and the spindle 21 depending from the housing 18 of the swivel Generally speaking, the invention includes motor means represented by the numeral 31 which is supported on the swivel 17 by any suitable means such as that represented generally at 32. The motor is provided with a connection represented generally at 34' for receiving power from a power source (not shown) whereby the motor means 31 may be actuated. A ring gear 36 is adapted to be supported for rotating the spindle 21 and is illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings as being mounted on the spindle or stem 21 below housing 18.

Gear means generally designated by the numeral 40 is operatively connected with the motor means 31 to be driven thereby and as better represented in FIGS. 3 and 5, the gear means 40 includes support means represented generally by the numeral which aids in retaining the gear means 40 normally disengaged from the ring gear 36 as illustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawings and on the right-hand side of FIG. 5 of the drawings.

When power from the source is supplied through the connection 34 to the motor means 31, the support means 45 and gear means 40 move to engage the gear means 40 with the ring gear 36 whereby rotation may be imparted to the swivel spindle 21 and kelly 26 connected therebelow.

One of the advantages of the present invention is that it normally is disengaged from the swivel spindle 21, and this enables the spindle 21 to be rotated in a manner well known in the art when the well string 22 and rotary are rotating during drilling operations or other well operations. However, when it is desired to rotate the spindle 21 of the swivel 17, the present invention may be easily and quickly actuated to accomplish such function.

In FIG. 3 of the drawings, the support means 32 is illustrated in one form in greater detail and is shown as including an upper member 32a, a lower member 32b, and circumferentially spaced means 320 for retaining the upper and lower members 32a and 32b in a predetermined or desired spaced relationship. The means 320 is shown which are afiixed respectively to the upper member and lower members 32a and 3212 by any suitable means such as Welding or the like as illustrated in the drawings. A bolt 32] extends through the members and is provided with a nut 32g for adjustment of the upper member 32a and lower member 32b relative to each other as may be desired or necessary so as to properly space or position the gear means 40 relative to the ring gear 36 on the spindle 21 to assure proper engagement therebetween.

If desired, a suitable covering as represented at 32k may be secured by any suitable means such as bolts 32i to the upper member 32a to protect or cover the operating parts of the invention.

The support 32 may be held on the swivel 17 by any suitable means such as the threaded bolts 32 which extend through the upper member 32a and into the lower end of the housing 18 as illustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawings. The upper member 32a and the lower member 32b are each provided with a central aperture 32k for receiving the spindle 21 which depends from the housing 18 of the swivel 17 and the spindle sub 23 threadedly connected into the lower end of the spindle 21 as represented in FIG. 3 of the drawings.

In some instances, it may be desirable to form the upper member 32a and lower member 32b into two half portions as illustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawings. In this event, a plate or extension 32a may be welded at each edge of one of the half portions of the upper member 32a and a plate 321) may be welded at each edge of one of .the half portions of the member 32]; as shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings so as to overhang the edges of the other half portion of the members 32a and plate 32b, respectively. The two half portions of each member are then secured together by suitable means such as the nuts and bolts represented generally at 32m.

Similarly, the ring gear 36 may be formed in two half portions 36a and 3612 which half portions are held together by suitable means such as the nuts and bolts designated generally at 37. The ring gear 36 may be held in position on the spindle 21 by an suitable means, and as illustrated in the drawings, removable wedges 360 are provided for fitting in between the spindle 21 and the ring gear 36. Thus, the ring gear 36 may be made to fit the largest spindle 21 normally encountered, and the Wedge members 36c then used to hold the ring gear in position on the spindle 21. This construction also permits the ring gear 36 to be adjusted longitudinally of the spindle 21 so as to position it properly in relation to the gear 40 to enable proper engagement of the gear means 40 and ring 36 when the present invention is actuated.

The housing 3211 may also be formed in two half portions as better illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawings, and in such event, the two half portions of the housing 32h may be secured by means of the bolt and nut means designated generally by the numeral 32h.

The motor means 31 may be air, hydraulic, or electric driven, and it has been found that air motors serve the purpose quite Well for the purpose of the present invention. The motor means 31 may be secured to the support 32 by any suitable means such as bolts or the like (not shown). The power connection 34 includes the inlet 3411 which conducts the air from a power source which discharges air into the interior of the housing extension 31a which is axially otfset but connected with the motor 31.

The motor 31 includes a shaft (not shown) which is arranged axially of the motor 31 and is adapted to rotate when air is supplied to the motor 31. A gear (not shown) is mounted on the end of the motor shaft and is engaged with a gear 31b illustrated in dotted line in FIG. 3 in housing extension 31a. The gear 31b is mounted on shaft 31b and rotates it when the motor shaft is rotated. Positioned within the housing extension 31a is the support means designated heretofore generally by the numeral 45, on which support means 45 the gear means 40 is supported. The support means 45 in turn is carried on the shaft 31b in the housing extension 31a.

The support 45 used with the motor means 31 shown in FIGS. 1-4 and 6 of the drawings is illustrated in greater detail in FIG. 7 of the drawings. It is shown as including the collar 450 which abuts the shoulder on the annular sleeve 45b. A lock ring 45x holds collar 450 in abutting engagement with sleeve 45b and also locks collar 45c on the tubular member 45y. Tubular member 45y in turn is longitudinally slidable of the shaft 31b on the spline-d connection 31c.

Tubular member 45y has a longitudinally extending threaded surface 452 which is inclined axially as illustrated in FIG. 7 and engages the mating threads in collar 45 Gear means 40 is mounted on the end 45g of collar 45 by any suitable means as shown in the drawings. Spring means 45d and 45e are arranged as shown and normally urge the sleeve 45b, collar 45c, and collar 45] longitudinally of the shaft 31b to the position illustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawings so that gear means 40 is disengaged from ring gear 36 when the air supply to the motor 31 is cut off.

When air is supplied through the connection 34 to the inlet 34a, it first enters and acts on the annular shoulder 45b of the annular sleeve 45b so as to collapse the springs 45d and 45e and move the collar 450, member 45y, and collar 45] along the splined connection 310 formed on the shaft 3112 as illustrated in FIG. 4 of the drawings. This moves gear means 40 to engage ring gear 36. If gear means 40 does not mesh with the teeth on gear 36, spring 45e and the threaded arrangement between member 45y and collar 45f aid in permitting slight rotation of the gear 40 to mesh its teeth with the gear teeth on ring gear 36.

When sleeve 45b has cleared port 34b in housing extension 3la, air is then permitted to pass through the conduit 340 into the motor 31 to actuate it. This causes the motor shaft and gear connected thereto to rotate which also rotates gear 31b and shaft 31b. Thus, it can be seen that the above construction functions so as to first position the gear means 40 in engaging relationship with the ring gear 36 before air is supplied to actuate the motor means 31, and the gear means 40 will be locked in engagement with ring gear 36 as long as power is supplied to the motor 31.

When the power supply is cut off, the sleeve 45b and collars 45c and 45 return to their original positions as illustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawings thereby serving to automatically disengage the gear means 40 from the ring gear 36 whereby the spindle 21 may then rotate independently of the present invention and without interference from the present invention.

It should be noted that the connection means 34 to the motor 31 includes a lubricator 50 which is of a wellknown construction and that it is connected in the air supply line going to the motor means 31. Thus, the air passes in through the opening 51 in the lubricator and is discharged through the conduit 52 to the inlet 34a described hereinabove and represented in FIG. 3 of the drawings. The air thereby serves to pick up lubricant and conducts it interiorlywf the motor and lubricate the motor as it also operates i it. This air is exhausted from the motor 31 through the conduit 31d, which conduit 31d terminates adjacent the gear ring 36 as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings. A suitable nozzle 31c motor means 31.

may be connected on the end of the conduit 31d so as to spray or discharge the exhaust from the motor 31 onto the ring gear 36 and gear means 40 to lubricate them when they are engaged.

A slightly modified form of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. of the drawings wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like parts described with regard to the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1-4, inclusive. A swivel is illustrated at 17 on which is provided a support means 32 for supporting the motor means 31. Operatively connected with the motor means 31 is the gear means 40 carried on the support means 45 which support means in turn is carried on the shaft 31b. The motor 31 is connected to shaft 3111' by means of a gear on its shaft which is in turn engaged with a gear 31b in offset housing 31a as described with regard to FIG. 2.

In FIG. 5, the support means 32 is shown as being in the form of a cage or assembly 60 with the upper member 61 and lower member 62 held in fixed relation by suitable means such as the bolts 63 secured through the upper and lower members, respectively. If desired, a housing 64 may be provided for covering all or a portion of the components of the present invention. The bolt means 63 may be extended upwardly as illustrated in FIG. 5 and is connected with a chain 70 or the like. The chain 70 extends upwardly and over the swivel 17 to be secured to one of the other bolt means 63 which is also extended upwardly and outwardly in a manner similar to that shown in FIG. 5 of the drawings.

The support means 45 on the shaft 31b of the extension 31a includes the collar 80 on which is mounted the gear means 40. Secured to the collar 80 is one end of a spring 81, the other end of the spring 81 being secured to the collar 82 which in turn is locked on the shaft 31b by suitable means such as the bolt 83 or the like. The collar 80 and the gear means 40 are threadedly connected together by the threaded portion 84 on the collar 80 as illustrated in FIG. 5 of the drawings. A spring 81a abuts gear 40 and collar 83 to urge the gear to nonengagement with the ring gear 36 as shown on the right of FIG. 5.

This construction normally retains the gear 40 in nonengaged relationship with the gear ring 36, and when air is supplied to the connection 34 of the motor means 31, this rotates the shaft 31b, and the initial rotation of the shaft 31b will cause the spring 81 to function in a manner so as to sling the gear means 40 along the threaded portion 84 of collar 80 and engage with the gear ring 36 as illustrated on the left-hand side of FIG. 5 of the drawings. The engagement of the gear 40 with gear ring 36 is accomplished substantially instantaneously with initial rotation of the shaft 31b whereupon continued rotation of the shaft 31b retains the gear 40 and gear ring 36 locked together as shown on the left side of FIG. 5 for rotation of the spindle 21 and members connected thereto. The gear means 40 disengages from ring gear 36 when the motor 31 stops, whereupon the gear means 40 returns to its disengaged position illustrated on the right side of FIG. 5.

As shown in FIG. 5 of the drawings, the air supply from a source is first conducted through the line 51 to a lubricator 50, and the air pressure functions to discharge lubricant through the line 52a into a lubricant hole 5212 on the This manner of lubricating a motor of this type is well known in the art. The air supply for running the motor means is discharged from the lubricator 50 through the line 52 and into the connection 34 of the air motor 31 to operate the air motor in a manner as previously described.

The air motor used in connection with the present invention may be of any suitable form well known in the art.

In the form of the invention shown in FIG. 5 of the drawings, the ring gear 36 is illustrated as being mounted on the spindle 21 by means of the set screws 36 The screws 36b may be arranged in any suitable manner on ring gear 36, and as shown, they are provided in pairs and may be provided in circumferentially spaced arrangement such as 90 apart on ring gear 36.

The exhaust from the motor means 31 may be discharged through a conduit 31d and nozzle 31c so as to lubricate the gear and gear ring 36 when they are engaged as illustrated in FIG. 5 of the drawings.

FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment of the invention. The motor means 31 is carried by support means 32 on the swivel 17. The support means 32 may be of any suitable form such as illustrated either in FIG. 3 or FIG. 5.

In FIG. 6, the position of the motor means 31 is inverted from that shown in FIGS. 1-5; however, the motor means 31 functions equally well in either position. Also, in FIGS. 1.5; two motor means 31 are illustrated, one for rotating the ring gear 36 and kelly in one direction, and one for rotating the ring gear 36 and kelly in the opposite direction, whereas only one motor means 31 is shown in FIG. 6. The motor means 31 in FIG. 6 is reversible so that it can rotate the ring gear 36 and kelly in either direction as desired.

The motor shaft .of the motor 31 is connected to a gear which is engaged with a gear 31b in offset housing extension 31a. The gear 311) is mounted on shaft 31b and supported on the shaft 311) are the support means and gear means 40 in a manner as described with regard to FIGS. 1-4. The function and operation of the motor means 31 and gear means 40 are similar to that described with regard to FIGS. 1-4; however, the air sup- .ply system is somewhat modified for operation of the motor means 31.

A main air supply is connected directly to the air supply on the drilling rig and extends up the standpipe 30 and along flexible hose to connect with the motor means 31 through lines 101 and 102. Air operated relay valves 101a and 102a are positioned in each conduit 101 and 102 and are normally closed, thus closing off How of air to motor means 31 through 101 or 102. The construction of the air operated valves 101a and 102a is well known, and therefore a detailed description is beunnecessary.

In operating the motor means 31 of the FIG. 6 invention, the connection of air lines 93 and 94 is somewhat different from that which will be given hereinafter relative to FIGS. 1-5. The control panel 90 is connected by the conduit 90a to the air supply tank. The flow of air .to lines 93 and 94 is controlled by toggle switches 91 and '92, respectively. The line 93 is connected up the stand- ;pipe 30 and flexible hose 20 to the air linlet 34a in housing extension 31a. Air discharge line 340 is connected with the valve 105 and the airline 94 is connected directly to valve 105. The valve 105 may be positioned on the top of standpipe 30. The lines 106 and 107 are connected from valve 105 to the relays 102a and 101a, respectively, and the lines 106 and 107 may be carried on the flexible hose 20.

The valve 105is provided with a spring 108 which normally urges the piston 109 of the valve 105 to a position so that the line 34c is normally communicated to the line 107. When the spring is collapsed as illustrated in FIG. 6 of the drawings, the line 340 communicates with the conduit or line 106. As previously noted, the air line 94 is connected to the valve 105, and as illustrated in the drawings, when air is supplied through the line 94, it acts on the piston 110 so as to collapse the spring 108 and thereby position the conduits 34c and 1.06 for communication as noted above.

In order to describe the operation of the form of the invention illustrated in FIG. 6 of the drawings, it will he assumed that it is desired to rotate the kelly 26 so that it may be threadedly disconnected from a tubular member or pipe section. To accomplish this, the kelly 26must be rotated to the left, which in the drawings is toward the right-hand side of the page. The toggle switches 91 and 92 may be manually operated so that air may be supplied through the line 90a to the control panel 90 and into the lines 93 and 94. The air supplied through the line 93 will pass first of all to the inlet 34a on the housing extension 31a so as to engage the gear means 40 with the ring gear 36 as illustrated in FIG. 6. Thereafter, the air is discharged through the conduit 34c and into valve 105. In the meantime, air supplied through the conduit 94 acts against piston 110 to position the piston rod 109 so that air supplied through the line 340 may be discharged through the valve 105 and into the line 106. i

The discharge of the air through line 106 actuates the relay valve 102a to open it, whereupon air is then supplied from the main air supply line 100 to the motor means 31 through the conduit 102. I

When air flows into the motor through the conduit 102, as viewed in the drawings, it causes the motor to rotate clockwise (viewing the motor from'the drilling platform 9). This then rotates the gear 31b in the housing extension 31a counterclockwise and causes the shaft 31b to rotate counterclockwise when viewed from the drilling platform 9 so as to rotate the kelly to the left and in a direction to unthread it from a pipe section at its lower end.

When it is desired to rotate the kelly 26 connected to the stem 21 in a direction so as to threadedly connect the kelly with a tubular member, air may be supplied through the line 93 so as to first engage the motor means 40 with the ring gear 36 as described above. The air is then discharged from the housing extension 31a through the line 34c and into the valve 105. At this time, the air supply through line 94 is closed so that the piston rod 109 is moved downwardly in the valve 105 to communicate the conduit 34c with the line 107. When air passes through line 107 to air relay valve 101a, it opens the air relay valve 101a, whereupon air is then discharged through the line 101 into the motor means 40. This rotates the motor 31 counterclockwise and gear 31!) and shaft 31b clockwise whereby ring gear 36 and kelly 26 are rotated in a direction so as to threadedly connect the kelly with a pipe section positioned vertically therebeneath.

As previously noted, air is maintained in the main air supply 100 at all times from the main air supply tank, and the flow of air to the lines 93 and 94 is controlled through the control panel 60 and toggle switches 91 and 92 on the drilling platform 9, the control panel 90 being connected to air tank by means of the line 90a.

It can be seen from the foregoing description that the motor means illustrated in FIG. 6 is reversible so that it can be rotated in either direction as desired to in turn rotate or spin the kelly in either direction as desired.

In the form of the invention illustrated in FIG. 6 of the drawings, the ring gear 36 is shown as being mounted on the spindle sub 23 instead of the spindle 21. The ring gear 36 may be connected to the sub 23 by any suitable means, and one form of connection is illustrated in FIG. 6 wherein longitudinally extending keyways 23b are provided in the sub 23, and keys 230 of suitable size are provided for fitting in the keyways 23b and in the keyway in the ring gear 36. It can be appreciated that any suitable number of keyways may be provided, two being shown in the drawings. When the ring gear 36 is positioned at the desired longitudinal position on the sub 23, the ring gear 36 may be locked thereagainst by suitable means such as the threaded bolts 23d extending through the ring gear 36 and engaging the sub 23. This serves to position the ring gear 36 on the sub 23, but enables removal thereof when desired.

While it is believed that the operation of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1-5 is apparent by reason of the foregoing description, to further amplify and describe, reference is now made to FIG. 1 of the drawings. A control assembly or panel for controlling the flow of power to the motor means 31 is represented generally by the numeral in FIG. 1. In order that the ring gear 36 may be rotated either clockwise or counterclockwise, it will be noted that two motor means 31 are illustrated in connection with FIGS. 1-5 of the drawings of the present invention, one of which is right-hand rotating and the other .being left-hand or counterclockwise rotating. Separate controls 91 and 92 are provided for supplying air through the conduits 93 and 94 to each of the motors. As

previously noted, the power supply to the control panel 90 is not shown as an air supply source is normally supplied around the drilling rig. This supply may be conducted to the control panel 90 by any suitable means such as a conduit 90a or the like, and the flow through panel 90 is controlled by the control means 91 and 92 in the form of toggle switches. The control means 91 and 92 in turn communicate 90a either with the conduit 93 or the conduit 94, respectively, and the conduits 93 and 94 are in turn connected with their respective motor means 31. If desired, the conduits 93 and 94 may be secured on the exterior of the mud supply means 30 and on the exterior of the flexible hose 20 as illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings.

For purposes of description and illustration, it will be assumed that the conduit 93 is connected to the motor means 31 on the left of FIG. 1 of the drawings and that the conduit 94 is to be connected with the motor means 31 on the right as viewed in FIG. 1 of the drawings. In the view illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawings, it can be seen that when power in the form of air is supplied through the conduit 93 by operating the control 91, air is supplied to the motor means 31 on the left to FIG. 1 of the drawings to rotate it clockwise (when looking up at the bottom of the motor means 31). This rotates shaft 31b counterclockwise and in turn rotates the ring gear 36 in a clockwise direction or toward the right-hand side of the drawings. Thus, when it is desired to use the present invention to disconnect pipe sections from the well string while rotating the suspended well string in the rotary at a predetermined rate, air will be supplied to the motor means 31 connected with the conduit 93 so as to actuate it.

On the other hand, when the present invention is to be used to connect pipe sections into the well string in a manner as described hereinbefore, air may be supplied through the conduit 94 by actuating the control 92 whereupon the counterclockwise motor means 31 viewed on the right in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings moves counterclockwise and in turn moves gear means 40 to engage and rotate the ring gear 36 clockwise (viewed looking up at the bottom of spindle 21 and connected kelly 26) so as to threadedly connect the pipe section into the well string.

As noted, a particular advantage of the present invention is that the present invention may be selectively engaged with the swivel spindle 21 and rotate the swivel spindle independently of rotation of the well string by the rotary 10. This enables the suspended well string in the well bore to be continually rotated even while connecting and disconnecting pipe sections in the well string. Also, the present invention eliminates the use of the spinning line and the dangers normally encountered by personnel in connection with its use.

Also, the present invention greatly speeds up well drilling operations and greatly reduces the possibility of stuck pipe and fishing operations during the drilling operations. It can be quickly and easily positioned on swivels and readily removed therefrom for repair or replacement of parts as may be necessary.

Furthermore, when the present invention is not in use, it does not interfere with the normal rotation of the spindle during normal drilling ope-rations and other operations in connection with the well bore.

Broadly, the present invention relates to a spinner and method of connecting and disconnecting pipe in a well string, and more particularly to a spinner which has particular utility for use with rotary swivels.

What is claimed is:

A method of connecting a tubular member having threaded ends in a well string suspended in a well bore comprising the steps of:

(a) suspending and rotating the well string in a well bore having drilling fluid therein with one end of the well string disposed for connection with one threaded end of the tubular member,

(b) engaging the tubular member adjacent the other of its threaded ends and raising it to position it substantially vertically relative to the exposed end of the well string,

(c) supporting the tubular member in such position so that the other threaded end thereof is elevated relative to the well string and said one threaded end abuts the exposed well string end,

(d) lowering the tubular member and simultaneously applying a rotating force to the elevated, threaded end of the tubular member to connect it with the well string, and

(e) thereafter disconnecting the rotating force from the tubular member at the elevated, threaded end while permitting maintenance of engagement of the other threaded end of the tubular member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,377,575 5/21 Greve 175170 1,884,874 10/32 Ross 17585 X 2,116,236 5/38 Dickey et a1 166-49 2,188,589 1/40 Armentrout 166-47 2,488,107 11/49 Abegg 166--77.5 2,633,333 3/53 Storm 175--85 X 3,053,330 9/62 Arthur 175l70 3,061,011 10/62 Paget 16677.5

20 CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Primary Examiner.

BENJAMIN BENDETT, Examiner. 

